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Overview
Pioneer VSX-831 was introduced in 2017. It is equipped with 5 channel amplifier with 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven) power per channel and is capable of 5.1 maximum channel processing. It passes 4K/60Hz and upscales up to 4K video signal.
We evaluated the a/v receiver and gave 78 overall score out of 100. Our ranking system is based on the amplifier specifications, audio and video features, connectivity, multizone capabilities, radio and many other details.
In 2017 Pioneer VSX-831 was replaced by Pioneer VSX-832. Let us now have a look at some important differences between Pioneer VSX-831 and its successor.
Pioneer VSX-831 features 5 channel power amplifier with Discrete Direct Energy design. It is rated at 80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven).
AMPLIFIER
Channels
5.2
Power Output
80 W (8 Ω, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 2 channel driven)
Amplifier Design
Discrete Direct Energy
THX™ Certification
Continuous 6 Ω Rated
Certified 4 Ω Performance
Bi-amp Capability
Speaker Configurations
Pioneer VSX-831's 5 channel amplifier can be assigned for different speaker configurations.
Configurations: Available configurations are:
5.2 with internal amplifier.
2-ch Bi-Amp: Pioneer VSX-831 allows you to bi-amp up to 2 main channels simultaneously. During bi-amplification two amplifiers are used for one speaker. One amplifier powers the midrange and tweeter section of the speaker and another amplifier powers the low frequency woofers. Each amplifier is less loaded and performs better. In order to use this feature speakers must have 2 pairs of connectors.
Pioneer VSX-831
DECODING
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
Dolby Atmos Music
Dolby TrueHD
Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby Surround Upmixer
Dolby Pro Logic
PLII
Dolby Digital EX
Surround EX
DTS:X
DTS Neural:X
DTS Virtual:X
DTS Neo
Neo:6
DTS-HD Master Audio
DTS-HD High Resolution Audio
DTS 96/24
DTS Express
DTS-ES
IMAX Enhanced
Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
Sound Processing
Advanced Sound Retriever: Compressed music enhancement in Pioneer VSX-831 is done by Pioneer’s Advanced Sound Retriever. Hear the detail, warmth and clarity, the way the artist intended it, from all of your highly compressed MP3 and WMA files stored on USB, Smartphone and portable media players. By restoring data that tend to get lost in the digital compression process, Pioneers Advanced Sound Retriever Technology enhances audio reproduction all the way upto 20 Khz frequencies.
Room Calibration
Pioneer VSX-831 comes with MCACC room correction system and includes the calibration microphone.
MCACC: Pioneer’s exclusive Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System (MCACC) delivers an easy-to-use, automatic sound adjustment system to precision-tune your Pioneer and Pioneer Elite receivers with minimal effort. Every MCACC system comes with a microphone to measure and analyze reverb characteristics. The equalizer optimally adjusts sound parameters to fit the size and shape of your home environment while maintaining the integrity of high-resolution playback without any degradation to the quality of your music.
Video Section
HDMI
Pioneer VSX-831 features 6 HDMI inputs. It has 1 output.
4K/60Hz Passthrough: All inputs pass up to 4K/60p (4:4:4 24-bit) 4K/60p (4:2:0 36-bit) 4K/24p (4:4:4 36-bit) video signal.
4K Upscaling: Pioneer VSX-831 can upscale up to 4K from HDMI and analog sources.
Analog To HDMI Upconversion: The a/v receiver supports video upconversion, so you can connect your analog Composite video sources and Pioneer VSX-831 will output them via HDMI. This means that you will need only one HDMI cable to connect to your TV.
BT.2020 Color Space: BT.2020 or Rec. 2020 is a color standard which delivers a wider color gamut compared to Rec. 709. It covers approximately 75% of the total visual spectrum while the Rec. 709 covers only 35%.
HDCP 2.2 Copy Protection: All inputs and outputs are HDCP 2.2 compliant which is a requirement for 4K/HDR copy-protected content transmission.
3D Ready: Pioneer VSX-831 is able to pass 3D video through HDMI.
HDR (High Dynamic Range)
Pioneer VSX-831 supports HDR (high dynamic range) video formats such as HDR10 and Dolby Vision. High dynamic range video has greater dynamic range than standard dynamic range (SDR) video with brighter whites and deeper blacks. The result is greater contrast and more details in dark and bright areas, better color and depth.
HDR10: HDR10 uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 supports 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors. It is technically limited to a maximum of 10,000 nits peak brightness, however common HDR10 contents are mastered with peak brightness from 1,000 to 4,000 nits.
Dolby Vision: Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. Like HDR10+, it includes dynamic metadata that are used to adjust and optimize each frame of the HDR video to the consumer display's capabilities in a way specified by the content creator. Dolby Vision allows for a maximum resolution of 8K up to 12-bit color depth, maximum peak brightness of 10,000 nits and a color gamut up to Rec. 2020. It uses Dolby's proprietary dynamic metadata defined in SMPTE ST 2094-10.
Pioneer VSX-831
VIDEO FEATURES
HDR10
HDR10+
Dynamic HDR
BT.2020 color space
Dolby Vision
HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma)
HDBaseT Compatible
Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
HDCP Version
2.2
QMS (Quick Media Switching)
ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
QFT (Quick Frame transport)
3-D Ready
Video Signal Passthrough
up to 4K/60p (4:4:4 24-bit) 4K/60p (4:2:0 36-bit) 4K/24p (4:4:4 36-bit)
Video Signal Upscaling
up to 4K
Check out the receivers which are frequently compared to Pioneer VSX-831.
Phono Input: There is an MM phono input with built-in phono stage for connecting the moving magnet cartridge output of the turntable directly to the a/v receiver.
Analog Line Inputs: There are 3 line inputs for analog audio connection.
Digital Inputs: 1 optical input and 1 coaxial input are available for digital audio connection.
Headphone Output: There is a 6.3 mm (1/4") headphone output jack on the front panel.
Video
HDMI:
Inputs: 6 Outputs: 1 8K Inputs: 0
Composite Video: Connect you VCR, Laserdisc player and other old video equipment with composite video cables.
Inputs: 2 Outputs: 0
Front A/V Inputs
USB, Mini-Jack
TERMINALS
HDMI Inputs
6
HDMI Outputs
1
8K Inputs
USB Input
1 Front
USB DC Out Port
Optical Inputs
1
Optical Outputs
Coaxial Inputs
1
RCA Line Inputs
3 (1 front)
RCA Line Outputs
XLR Line Inputs
Phono Input
Multi-Channel Input
RCA Pre-Outs
0.2
XLR Pre-outs
Composite Video Inputs
2
Composite Video Outputs
S-Video Inputs
S-Video Outputs
Component Video Inputs
Component Video Outputs
Pioneer VSX-831 Evaluation
We evaluate Pioneer VSX-831 and give score of 78 out of 100. We also give separate scores for 6 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new receiver is added to the database.
OVERALL
78
Amplifier
GOOD
77
We give Pioneer VSX-831 a score of 77 for Amplifier features.
Few Channels - 5.2
Low Power Output - 80 W
Audio Features
GOOD
71
We give Pioneer VSX-831 a score of 71 for Audio Features features.
Few Channels - 5.2
5.1 Channel Processing
No Dolby Atmos
No Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
No DTS:X
No IMAX Enhanced
No Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
DSD via HDMI
Video Features
EXCELLENT
92
We give Pioneer VSX-831 a score of 92 for Video Features features.
HDR10
No HDR10+
Dolby Vision
No 8K Passthrough
Analog To HDMI Upconversion
Connectivity
GOOD
80
We give Pioneer VSX-831 a score of 80 for Connectivity features.
No eARC
New HDCP Version
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Does not Work with Amazon Alexa
Chromecast Built-In
6 HDMI Inputs
1 HDMI Outputs
0 8K Input
USB Input
Few RCA Line Inputs
Phono Input
No RCA Pre-Outs
Composite Video Inputs
Ethernet
Bluetooth 4․1 + LE
Zones
AVERAGE
55
We give Pioneer VSX-831 a score of 55 for Zones features.
No Zones
Radio
EXCELLENT
88
We give Pioneer VSX-831 a score of 88 for Radio features.
Analog Tuner
Pandora
Spotify
No Tidal
For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:
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